Plastic cakes and apparatus for making the same



' (No Model.)

J. R. MAXWELL.

Platio Cakes and Apparatus for Making the Same.

No'. 240.157. Patented April 12,1881.

ITNESSES: lNl ENTOR 1, I 9:? j g qmwfiqf ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. MAXWELL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

PLASTIC CAKES AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,157, dated April 12, 1881.

Application filed September 7, 1880. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J AMEsB. MAXWELL, of Cincinnati, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Plastic Cakes and Apparatus for Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to cakes made of plastic or moldable substancessuch, for instance, as soap, candy, tooth-paste, bricks, tobacco, 860.; and it relates to forming upon or in such cakes marks of designation or ornamentation which are incapable of erasure. I construct cakes of such material in such manner that the surface of the cakes may be cut or worn away without removing the marking.

In the construction of my improved cakes I form cavities nearly or quite through them, and inject into said cavities any suitable plastic substance which, by reason of a difference in color, will always show a marking or configuration of "the shape of said excavations.

My invention further relates to apparatus for forming such excavations, and for injecting the plastic marking substance into the excavations.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a cake of soap constructed in accordance with my improved plan; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section of apparatus de signed to aid in the construction of my improved cakes.

Fig. 1 exhibits a cake of soap, A, of ordinary external form, and of ordinary soap material. After the cake is formed a group of excavations, B, is made nearly or quite through the body of the cake. In the drawings the excavations are so grouped as to form the word Sapol. The excavations are shown as being round; but they may be of any form desired,

and may be grouped to form any desired wording or device. There may be but a single excavation of the desired form, or the chosen device inay be wrought out by groups of small excavations. After the excavations are produced they are filled with any suitable plastic substance by injection. In the case of soap the excavations should be filled with soap of a diflerent shade or color. As the cake is worn away the colored device remains visible. This construction is adapted to the formation of names, trade-marks, symbols, or ornamental devices in soap, candies, tooth-paste, bricks, plug-tobacco, 85c.

Instead of injecting into the excavations a substance similar to the body of the cake, the injected substance may be totally different in nature as well as in color. Soap might be injected with any simple perfumepa ste which would become as hard as the body of the cake, or which had sufficient consistency to remain in the excavations. Tooth-paste might be injected with a soap, a perfume'paste, or a gritty paste. Candies might be injected with fruitpastes; bricks with some composition adapted to join well with mortar; paving-bricks with some substance which will harden well and stand greater wear than common pavingbricks, and tobacco with a paste of some nicetasting substance entirely different from itself.

Some combinations of substances may form the subject of subsequent applications by me for Letters Patent.

In Fig. 2 are shown some devices which are to be used, if desired, in forming my improved cakes.

A is the cake, supported by the abutment I, and retained in form by the mold-frame H and follower G. If the substance of the cake is of such nature as not to be damaged in form by the operations, the mold-frame I may be dispensed with, and the follower Gr, instead of being adapted to conform to the surface of the cake, may be flat and adapted to act as a stripper only.

D is a punch-head, which may form a part any machine adapted to operate it and give it a reciprocating motion, or it may be used as a hand punch-head.

F represents a group of punches attached to the punch-head D, and arranged to pass through holes in the follower or stripper G. If the headD be pressed downward thepunches will pass into the body of the cake A, and upon withdrawal will leave excavations B in the cake. The displaced material may be condensed into the body of the cake, or it might be pushed entirely through the abutment I, holes in the abutment bein gof course provided, if such action is desired. The cake may then be removed from the mold and the punched cavities injected with the marking substance.

In this device I have provided means for injecting the marking substance immediately after the cavities are produced and before the cake is removed from the mold or abutment.

In the punch-head D is a receptacle, E, holding the marking substance in plastic state. Upon this substance in the cavity E presses the plunger 0, operated by any suitable mechanism. The punches F are hollow and just after or during their withdrawal from the cake pressure is applied upon the substance in the cavity E. This causes the marking substance to pass through the punches, displace any cake substances in the punches, and fill the excavations in the cake. The cavity E, instead of being provided within itself with a pressureproducer, may simply be connected with a supply of marking substance under pressure.

In many cases it may be desirable to use solid punches for forming the excavations. In such case the injecting-machine, formed substantially as shown in the combined machine, need have no movement. The orifices in the head D, arranged to match the cake-excavations formed by the punching process, would simply be brought into proper position over the excavations and the injecting force applied on the marking substance. In such case the head D might descend clear to the cake, and the stripperGand the hollow punches F might be dispensed with orthe hollow punches might be retained as injecting-tubes, while the stripper G is dispensed with.

The injecting device may be arranged to act on the side of the cake opposite that on which the punches act, so that the injection might follow up the recession of solid punches. Such an arrangement of parts is reserved as the subject of a future patent.

I claim as my invention 1. In a machine for injecting a marking substance into excavationsin cakes of matter, the combination, with an abutment, a cavity for holding the marking substance, and a means for applying pressure to the substance in said cavity, of one or more orifices in a wall of said cavity, arranged to coincide with the excavation or excavations in the cake, substantially as set forth.

holding the marking substance, a means for applying pressure to the substance in said cavity, and one or more orifices in a wall of said cavity, of one or more injecting -tubes fixed in a wall of said cavity and adapted to connect said cavity with the said excavation or excavations, substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for injecting a marking substance into excavations in cakes of matter, the combination, with an abutment, a cavity for holding the marking substance, and one or more orifices in a wall of said cavity, arranged to coincide with said excavation or. excavations, of a plunger adapted to operate in said cavity and press upon the marking substance therein, and a means for operating said plunger, substantially as set forth.

4. In a machine forinjecting a marking substance into excavationsin cakes of matter, the combination, with an abutment, a cavity for holding the marking substance, and one or more injecting-tubes leading from said cavity to the said excavation or excavations, of a plunger adapted to operate within said cavity and press upon the substance therein, and a means'for operating said plunger, substantially as set forth.

5. In a machine for forming excavations in cakes of matter and injecting a marking substance into said excavations, the combination, with an abutment and a stripper, of a punchhead, a means for operating the punch-head, a cavity in said punch-head for holding the marking substance, a means for applying pressure to the substance in said cavity, and one or more hollow punches fixed in a wall of said cavity, substantially as set forth.

6. In a machine for forming excavations in cakes of matter and injecting a marking substance into said excavations, the combination,

with an abutment, a stripper, a punch-head,

a means for operating the punch-head, and one or more hollow punches fixed to the punchhead, of a cavity in the punch-head for holding the marking substance, a plunger adapted to operate in said cavity and press upon the substance therein, and a means for operating said plunger, substantially as set forth.

JAMES It. MAXWELL.

Witnesses:

ALEX. GORDON, JAMES W. SEE. 

